ONLINE: Black Bodies Swinging: An American Postmortem
LisaGay Hamilton
Robin D. G. Kelley is an acclaimed author and the Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History at UCLA.
The title of this series of lectures by UCLA professor of history and author Robin D. G. Kelley is shared with a forthcoming book examining the roots of the Black Spring protests of 2020; as described by Kelley, it will be a "historical autopsy" of racial capitalism. The specific lecture topics — “The Price of the Ticket: Making a Killing in Cincinnati” (Tuesday), “'Count All Women’s Lives!' Abolition Feminism vs Racial Femicide” (Wednesday) and "Where do We Go From Here? Abolition or Fascism” (Thursday) — should make for a bracing preview of the book. The lectures are presented on Zoom by the Havens Wright Center; register here for the links.
press release: The Havens Wright Center for Social Justice has organized a series of interactive online lectures throughout the fall 2020 semester. These talks explore some of the multifaceted crises we are facing in 2020, and how people are resisting oppression and exploitation across the world. Talks also explore history, literature, and new technology. All talks are open to the public. You do not have to be affiliated to any academic institution or organization to participate.
All Havens Wright Center events will be hosted online on zoom this semester. To attend an event you must register in advance on Eventbrite (find info on our website). You will be sent a confirmation email after registering, and on the day of the talk you will be sent a link to join the zoom call, along with instructions on how to join. If you do not receive the meeting link please make sure to check your junk mail folder. For any additional information on how to use the technology please email trongone@wisc.edu.
“The Price of the Ticket: Making a Killing in Cincinnati,” Tuesday, March 2, 12:30pm CT
“Count All Women’s Lives!”: Abolition Feminism vs Racial Femicide,” Wednesday, March 3, 12:30pm CT
“Where do We Go From Here?: Abolition or Fascism,” Thursday, March 4, 12:30pm CT
Robin D. G. Kelley is Distinguished Professor of History & Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History at UCLA. His books include, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (2009); Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times (2012); Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination (2002); Race Rebels: Culture Politics and the Black Working Class (1994); Yo’ Mama’s DisFunktional!: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America (1997); and Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians, Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of Labor’s Last Century, written collaboratively with Dana Frank and Howard Zinn (Beacon 2001). The University of North Carolina Press recently issued a 25th anniversary edition of his first book, Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression (2015). He is currently completing three book projects: Black Bodies Swinging: An American Postmortem (Metropolitan Books), a genealogy of the Black Spring protests of 2020 by way of a deep examination of state-sanctioned racialized violence and a history of resistance; The Education of Ms. Grace Halsell: An Intimate History of the American Century, a biography of the late Grace Halsell; and a general survey of African American history, in collaboration with Professor Tera Hunter.